Canon FTb: DIY shutter capping fix

[cameratinkerer]

Hello folks,

I have this Canon FTb which has not seen much use for quite some time. When I first tried it several weeks ago, it had number of problems. I have fixed most of them. Here is a list:
1. Film door was jammed shut. Fixed with cleaning and lubrication.
2. Meter was off. Fixed by recalibration.
3. Prism was dirty. Fixed by dis-assembly and cleaning.
4. Follower needle was detached! Fixed by gluing it back ... fortunately it was still in the body.
5. Mirror was locking up now and then. Fixed by applying lubrication at appropriate places.
6. Seals and mirror damper foam had gone bad. All replaced.
7. Reflex mirror had the foam sticking to it. Thoroughly cleaned.
8. Frame counter window had become detached and was loose. Fixed that with synthetic cement glue.

I downloaded a service manual for the FTb from the internet and it has been quite helpful. As you can make out, the above repairs and fixes were quite an experience. This was my more or less the first camera repair hobby project. I enjoyed and had fun studying how the machine worked (I am an engineer, btw).

Now, the problem I have left is to fix the shutter capping occurring at higher speeds (1/500 and 1/1000). Perhaps there is a bit of shutter bounce as well. From various background reading, it appears that I need to clean and lubricate the shutter shafts and related gears. And only after that perhaps I would need to tweak the curtain tensions.

Now, I have since discovered that I can remove the frame counter unit and sort of bend the shutter speed assembly away to reveal the shutter shafts and gears and curtain brakes underneath.

So, my question to people familiar with this camera is the following. To clean and lube the shutter shafts and gears, what is the procedure? Given the background knowledge I have described above, it would be great to have enumerated steps on how to go about doing this.

Fun hobby, I must admit!

Thanks.

 

[Dwig]

Sounds like an interesting project.

One thing to check before you get too far is the condition of the bottom bearings for the spindles of the shutter curtain supply drums. You can see the ends of the spindles if you remove the bottom cover. Take a knife or sharp jeweler's screwdriver and push the end of the spindles sideways. If they move, the bearings are worn out and you will never be able to get the shutter properly tuned. The bearings can't be replaced.

 

[cameratinkerer]

Checked the one spindle and the bushing that I can see. It is of one of the curtains, on the frame winding side toward the front of the camera. Looks good. Cannot move it sideways at all.

The other spindle appears to be below a white plastic gear so cannot reach it and verify, but I would assume that is in good shape as well, at least in same shape as the other.

I have attached the photo of the bottom of the camera. I understand that the magenta arrows on the right-lower inset point to curtain spindles. The magenta arrows on the left-lower inset point to the curtain tension adjustments and these don't move as the ones on the right inset move, right?

Could somebody tell me what is the shaft pointed to by the cyan arrow?


Thanks.

 

[aniMal]

That is a lot of faults corrected, if I did not have the wreck of my own FTb lying around I would have thought it was that one. I cooked it for 5 minutes, then threw it ouf of the window - from the 6th floor.... Long story 🙂